On January 1, 2020, the minimum wage in the state of Ohio for non-tipped employees rose 15 cents to $8.70 per hour. This calculates to $348 for a 40-hour workweek and a yearly income of $18,096. Tipped employees saw their minimum wage increase by 5 cents to $4.35 per hour. A tipped employee is defined as someone who engages in an occupation in which he or she receives more than $30 per month in tips. Employees can receive tips up to $30 per month without being legally considered a tipped employee.

Ohio Minimum Wage Automatically Adjusts Every Year

These increases were set in motion by an amendment to the state constitution in 2006, which mandated that the state’s minimum wage be based on the inflation rate of the previous year. Ohio is one of seven states where these automatic inflation adjustments to the minimum wage occur on an annual basis. Before this legislation, the minimum wage was rarely changed, often going a decade or more at the same level. Since 2006, the minimum wage in Ohio has increased almost every year, with the only exceptions being 2010 and 2016.

Overtime

Employers who gross $150,000 per year or more are required to pay an employee one and a half times an employee’s rate of pay for any hours in excess of 40 hours per week of work. This calculates out to a $13.05 per hour overtime wage. Ohio law does not define a daily limit for overtime.

Ohio Exemptions from Minimum Wage

There are quite a few conditions that could exempt a person from qualifying for Ohio’s minimum wage. Some of these include:

• Some workers in Ohio continue to earn the Federal minimum wage. For companies whose gross receipts did not exceed $319,000 in 2019, the minimum wage stays at $7.25. The same rate applies to workers who are under the age of 16.

• Individuals employed by the United States government.

• Persons employed as babysitters in an employer’s home

• Live-in companions to a sick, convalescent or elderly person—unless their principal duties include housekeeping

• Family members of the owner who are working in a company that is completely family-owned and operated.

• Workers employed by camps or recreational areas for children under the age of 18 which are owned and operated by a non-profit organization or group.

• Outside salesmen, or salesmen who go out into the field and meet clients for sales purposes, who are compensated by commission or in their executive, administrative, or professional capacity.

• In order to prevent the pricing of those with physical and mental deficiencies, the state of Ohio allows a sub-minimum wage rate to be paid according to strict guidelines set out by the Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce. In order to pay workers this special wage, an employer must have a certificate from the Ohio Department of Commerce.

Conclusion

The minimum wage in Ohio is mandated by law to reflect the Consumer Price Index of the previous year. This is designed to keep the wages of Ohio’s lowest-paid workers in line with the cost of living.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) offers guidelines for improving the manufacturing process to make a good product with less cost. Achieving this involves optimizing and streamlining product design. Basically, it involves all the strategies that are needed to manufacture a product, from the initial idea to the assembling of parts. 

Most of the costs of manufacturing a product (labor, materials etc.) are related to the original design. As the decisions that go into the design of a product affect its costs, it makes sense to design a product with built-in cost-effectiveness. 

Global Six Sigma offers Six Sigma certification and helps companies to make processes more efficient, cut costs, eliminate waste and increase customer satisfaction. Peter Peterka, an expert in Lean Six Sigma, advises keeping it simple when designing a product, from its directions to its use. 

The following Design for Manufacturability guidelines can help designers to reduce the costs and difficulty of manufacturing an item. Creating a timeline can be difficult because it depends on the complexity of a product and quality requirements. 

It is important to have every detail verified and confirmed and this can take some time. Eliminating potential mistakes and making a product cost-effective from the start could save plenty of time and money in the long run. 

The rules for DFM

Reduce the total number of parts. Reduction in parts makes inventory, handling, processing time and many other aspects of manufacture easier and less expensive. The trick is to minimize parts without losing quality or value. 

Use components. When you use components, you can easily take them apart for an inspection and then re-assemble them. When it comes to updating a product, redesigning is easier when using components. A modular design is easier to test, update, redesign etc. 

Use standard components. Custom-made components are expensive to replace. High availability of standard components reduces product lead times and reliability is well ascertained. 

Multi-functional parts. Multi-functional parts keep costs down because you can reduce the total number of parts in your product. For example, a part could be a structural member and a heat-dissipating element. 

Design parts for multi-use. If components have the same use for different products or different use for different products, this can simplify the manufacturing process. 

Minimize assembly directions. All parts should be assembled from one direction. If possible, the best way to add parts is from above, in a vertical direction, so the effects of gravity help the assembly process. 

Design for ease of fabrication. Minimize overall manufacturing cost by selecting the optimum combination between material and the fabrication process. Commonly found problems that result in higher than necessary production costs involve excessive tolerance or surface-finishing requirements. 

Maximize compliance. Due to variation in the dimension of parts, it is important to consider compliance in part design and assembly as errors can easily occur and cause damage to parts and equipment. A simple solution is to use high-quality parts with built-in design compliance. 

Minimize handling. Use symmetrical parts where possible to make orientation easier when positioning or fixing a part or component. If this is not possible, exaggerating the asymmetry and using external guiding features can help with the orientation of a part to avoid failures. 

When designing a product, it is important to try and minimize the flow of parts, material waste, and so on, in the manufacturing process. Use a minimalist approach and you can reduce the costs and the difficulties involved. If you do this well, you can be assured of both productivity and quality.

When you want to increase traffic for your business, you should consider all the types of traffic you should look for. Your company can grow if you have the right kind of traffic, and you can add web traffic using these tips throughout the course of the year. Use these tips to make your business more successful. You can improve the performance of your business, and you can add traffic that was impossible to get in the past.

1. Website Traffic

If you are working with a company like Edkent Media, you need to build a nice website to educate your customers. You can put all the information your customers need on the site. You can sell your products on the website, and you can add content to your website at any time. You might create videos to educate your customers, or you might want to use landing pages to sell your customers on specific items.

2. Social Media

You can use social media to increase the traffic on your website. You could use social media to educate your customers, and you can post videos to social media that give customers a peek behind the scenes. You can post pictures if you want customers to meet your staff, or you could post pictures of your new products. You can even host contests on social media to increase your follower count. You can offer customer service through social media, and you can get customer input in the comments on each post.

3. Affiliate Ads

Affiliate ads are a good way to encourage people to display their ads. When a customer buys through an affiliate ad, the owner of the ad is paid a commission. Anyone who hosts your ads can make money with these commissions, and you can use affiliate ads to send customers directly to a landing page. This is often the best way to increase traffic on your website, and you can narrow the focus of every customer by using landing pages.

4. Generic Ads

Basic ads should be posted all over the Internet. You can post ads online that will target people in your area, or you can target people who are searching for certain things. Online ads can be used to make your company a household name, and the repeated viewing of these ads makes it easy for customers to remember you. You should rotate your ads, change them when they do not work and try to improve your ads over time by changing the graphics or text.

5. SEO Keyword Traffic

You should try to get SEO keyword traffic by using as many keywords related to your business as possible. Your company will get more traffic because you are using industry keywords, and you can add local keywords that are easy for people in the area to recognize.

Conclusion

When you are trying to make your business more popular, you should use the five types of traffic above to build your business. You can add traffic to your robust profile when you are using better affiliate ads, better SEO keywords, and a strong social media presence. You can create more traffic for your business by pointing people to your website, and you can even use landing pages to sell specific products to new or existing customers.

When you want to increase traffic for your business, you should consider all the types of traffic you should look for. Your company can grow if you have the right kind of traffic, and you can add web traffic using these tips throughout the course of the year. Use these tips to make your business more successful. You can improve the performance of your business, and you can add traffic that was impossible to get in the past.

1. Website Traffic

If you are working with a company like Edkent Media, you need to build a nice website to educate your customers. You can put all the information your customers need on the site. You can sell your products on the website, and you can add content to your website at any time. You might create videos to educate your customers, or you might want to use landing pages to sell your customers on specific items.

2. Social Media

You can use social media to increase the traffic on your website. You could use social media to educate your customers, and you can post videos to social media that give customers a peek behind the scenes. You can post pictures if you want customers to meet your staff, or you could post pictures of your new products. You can even host contests on social media to increase your follower count. You can offer customer service through social media, and you can get customer input in the comments on each post.

3. Affiliate Ads

Affiliate ads are a good way to encourage people to display their ads. When a customer buys through an affiliate ad, the owner of the ad is paid a commission. Anyone who hosts your ads can make money with these commissions, and you can use affiliate ads to send customers directly to a landing page. This is often the best way to increase traffic on your website, and you can narrow the focus of every customer by using landing pages.

4. Generic Ads

Basic ads should be posted all over the Internet. You can post ads online that will target people in your area, or you can target people who are searching for certain things. Online ads can be used to make your company a household name, and the repeated viewing of these ads makes it easy for customers to remember you. You should rotate your ads, change them when they do not work and try to improve your ads over time by changing the graphics or text.

5. SEO Keyword Traffic

You should try to get SEO keyword traffic by using as many keywords related to your business as possible. Your company will get more traffic because you are using industry keywords, and you can add local keywords that are easy for people in the area to recognize.

Conclusion

When you are trying to make your business more popular, you should use the five types of traffic above to build your business. You can add traffic to your robust profile when you are using better affiliate ads, better SEO keywords, and a strong social media presence. You can create more traffic for your business by pointing people to your website, and you can even use landing pages to sell specific products to new or existing customers.

When you are managing a construction company or a construction site, you need to know how to remove debris from the site safely. There are a few tips listed below that will help you protect the environment. Each of these options will change the way that you manage your company, and you can improve the experience for your workers at the same time.

Use A Waste Service

You can use waste services to remove construction debris as quickly as possible. These companies can remove the debris before it starts to overflow. You do not want to work in a space that is filled with trash because it could become litter as it gets blown around the area. Also, the waste service can pick up your trash more than once a day if you like.

Use A Recycling Service

You can use a recycling service to remove debris from the area. A recycling company might sell you some of the building materials you use because they collect recycled material throughout the year. You can build green structures that are made from recycled materials, and some of the materials you recycled can be used to build your next project.

You can get paid cash for the materials you recycle, or you might get a credit that will be used to pay for any materials you need. Your business can do something good for the environment, and you will make money at the same time.

Use A Wood Chipper

When you are working on a construction project, you may need wood chips to complete the landscaping. You can use a wood chipper to break up all the extra wood from the facility, and you can use those wood chips to make the area look nice. You do not want these materials to go to waste, and it is to run most wood products through the wood chipper.

Give The Materials To A Nonprofit

You could donate any extra materials to a nonprofit. These nonprofits can use the materials to build homes for the needy. These materials could be used to handle repairs for people who cannot help themselves. You could give these materials to a company that will repurpose the materials, or you could recycle the materials for cash. You can give some of that cash to a charity.

Give Some Materials To The Community For Major Projects

The community might want to start a big art project, and you can donate materials that will be used in those art projects. This is a simple way to make the community look nicer, or you could have an artist create an art project for the property you are working on.

Conclusion

Removing debris from your construction site is very simple if you are working with the right company. You can recycle much of what you have used, or you could run your old wood through the wood chipper. You can use a waste service that will pick up all the items for you, and they will create a schedule that works best for you. You might want to donate some of these materials to help build homes in the area, or your materials might be used for art projects that make the community look like a nice place to live.

You can’t just sit in a room, come up with an idea and expect it to become the next big thing. To come up with a successful idea, you need to understand the marketplace and various steps are necessary if you want to benefit from your idea.  

Some people succeed in generating money and fame from their ideas but others may have a good idea that fails and wonder what went wrong. Focusing not only on product creation but thinking like a business person from the start can make the difference. Otherwise, you may end up devoting time and money to developing what isn’t the creative, money-generating new product you expected it to be. 

Some awesome new resources offer more opportunities than ever before for inventive product entrepreneurs to develop, manufacture, sell and distribute their products. The journey is unique for everyone but here are some common steps most successful inventors have to go through.  

Validate your market

Creative individuals are often so absorbed with their ideas that they ignore some basic business principles. For instance, it’s important to know your market size and your competition. Design and production costs, selling price, and profit potential are other factors to consider before you spend your money on bringing a product to market.   

Document your idea

It helps with the process of filing a patent if you keep an inventor’s journal and document everything about your idea, from what it is to how it works. The journal should contain concurrent numbered pages that you can’t remove or reinsert and must be signed by a witness. 

Build a prototype

Start with a basic concept that you can refine over time. It does not have to be fancy or expensive. The purpose is to help you figure out how to make your idea work. Only once you have worked out all the kinks and fully tested your concept, can you start thinking about developing a fully-functional prototype. Inventors will find a manufacturer to develop a final prototype for them.   

File a patent

If you want patent protection for your idea, you need to do your due diligence and find out first whether anyone else has patented it. It’s worthwhile to do a search at www.uspto.gov before you even try to find a patent attorney.  

InventHelp can refer you to a patent attorney when you’re ready to take the next step and want to patent your idea. If you don’t have a strong patent written by a patent attorney, competitors may find a loophole so they can copy your idea. 

Learn how to handle setbacks

Setbacks are unavoidable and will help you to eventually come up with the best possible product. You only know how to make improvements when you test something and find its flaws.  

You may be able to fix them or you may find the seed of another even better idea in the process of trying to do so. Testing a product on the people who will use it is one of the best ways to find flaws and fix them.  

Create a marketing plan

One of the biggest challenges for inventors is often in figuring out how to bring a product to the market. You need to decide if you’ll create and sell your products yourself or whether you’ll sell another company the rights to make, use and sell your products in exchange for a license fee and royalty payments. 

IP Watchdog has more information for you about the pros and cons of these two methods, so you can decide which method suits you best.      

Part of the appeal of a new year is the fresh perspective on life that it gives us. We like to party when seeing out  the old year, but we also like to face the coming one with hope, fresh ideas, and a renewed sense of purpose. Maintaining that resolve for any length of time can be a challenge.

All resolutions start with the very best of intentions, but unless we take appropriate action and plan our next steps, then we are unlikely to succeed. What you aim to achieve is personal, however, we can offer some insight and guidance about how to set yourselves up for the very best 2020 possible.

By getting some essential tasks sorted early on, you can put your best foot forward and make a great start to the year. As they say, you should start as you mean to go on, and here is how you can do it.

A Financial Improvement 

When it comes to improving your finances for the coming year, don’t start off with anything that is going to dampen your Christmas spirit or take up too much time. The key is to get organized now and reap the benefits later.

One such small task could be reviewing your insurance policies. Whether it is looking at your life cover, health, home, or car insurance, there could be a better supplier out there with a more cost-effective deal for you. 

Comparing quotes is a quick and easy way to understand what your policy covers and whether you could save money. For example, we took a look at Toronto insurance and noticed that by using the same company for car and home insurance, there were savings to be made on both policies.

A Health Improvement

Perhaps some of the most challenging resolutions to commit to are the ones concerning our health. Generally, it means giving up something that is bad for us or forming a new habit that is uncomfortable to get used to.

While having the bigger picture in mind is a great starting point, it doesn’t always give us the encouragement we need because achieving our goals feels so far off. Instead, we suggest you make your resolution to find something that you enjoy doing that also has some health benefits. This could mean trying lots of different activities to find the right one or rediscovering something that you used to love doing.

A popular place to start is by joining a walking club. It’s a simple activity, not too tiring, and it’s suitable for all abilities. Walking has double the appeal because it addresses both physical and mental health needs. You’ll be getting your body moving, meeting new people, and spending time in the fresh air and natural surroundings, which is a proven way to boost your mood.

Your Contribution

For the philosophers and others looking for the meaning in life, you may find the answer in discovering your true purpose and contributing more to society. Since our day to day happiness can be linked to the meaning in our lives, it is useful to seek out activities that reveal that meaning. 

It could be as simple as a weekly chess game with a neighbor. Other ideas include teaching someone something new or sharing your skills. Volunteering with a local organization like a soup kitchen, a wildlife trust, or an agency sending aid overseas can be a fulfilling and worthwhile activity.

Alternatively, you could get more involved in your community by taking action over the things that matter most to you. It could be a recycling campaign, fundraising for your local library, or inviting authors and experts to deliver a series of talks throughout the year.

Your Home

Getting organized for the year can be given a boost by improving your home environment. Your property could already be in good order, but each year tasks should be carried out and money set aside to maintain and improve your home.

Instead of attempting a big renovation project for one room, we recommend that you take the time to survey your house from the inside and out, and draw up an annual plan and a checklist. The plan should include tasks for cleaning and repairs that will keep your home in good working order.

Having your home-improvement tasks distributed throughout the year will make them more manageable. They will also make a noticeable difference to the appearance and feel of your house. With everything around you running like clockwork, you’ll have fewer frustrations, stresses, and worries. 

The Bottom Line

We wish you all the best for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2020. We hope these handy tips will bring you good things in the new year that lies ahead. Remember, the year is long, so improving ourselves is a marathon, not a sprint.

When you want to save money on office supplies, you should look at every part of your office, what you do, and how you can cut back on costs. You can create a functional office that is cheap to run, and you can conserve many of the supplies you use in the process. Also, you should consider updating your technology to make the office as efficient as possible.

Use Headsets Instead Of Expensive Office Phones

Check out headsetplus.com to find an affordable device. You can use this headset every day, and you will avoid any issues while you are talking on the phone. Plus, you do not need to reach for your phone every time you must answer a call. You can set your phone aside, and you can even use the headset for voice dictation when you are having a text conversation.

A headset allows you to take calls, and it is much cheaper than an expensive office phone system. Plus, headsets are easy to replace if they are broken or malfunctioning.

Stop Copying When You Can Scan Documents

You can stop copying documents over and over when you can scan them into the cloud. When you want to save money on paper and ink, you can use a phone app to scan each document, save that document to the cloud, and send that document to anyone who needs to see it. Plus, you can pull up these documents in the future without searching your filing cabinets.

When you do this, you will save money on folders, paper, filing cabinets, and copying.

Use Online Fax Services

You should use online fax services when you want to receive scanned versions of documents. Plus, some people might use a traditional fax machine. They can send their faxes to your online service, and you can scan those documents into the cloud. You do not need o pay for paper and ink for the fax machine, and you do not need to spend money on an extra phone line for the fax machine.

Use A More Powerful T-1 Internet Line

When you want to upgrade your office, you can use a powerful T-1 connection. You can spend the money to upgrade your office just once, and you will have a powerful connection that allows you to get work done all day long. Plus, you can create a public network that your guests can use. You get the speeds you need, and you can quickly send all the electronic documents that you have sent.

You Can Stop Using Paper Clips And Staples

You can cut back on your use of paper clips and staples because you are using electronic document transfers to manage your business. When you want to use electronic systems, you do not need to replenish your office supplies. You can cancel the contract you have with an office supply store, and you could save thousands of dollars a year. Plus, you will not use as much paper as you normally would.

Conclusion

When you would like to make your office affordable to manage, you can use these tips to transfer much of what you do online. You can save money by eliminating the traditional copier and fax machine. You can accept online faxes, and you do not need to spend extra money every month on supplies.